India Design Forum (IDF), India’s most prestigious design platform, showcased the potential of design, innovation and sustainability in the manufacturing sectors at the Make In India Week (13-18 Feb, 2016) in Mumbai on February 17th, 2016. IDF organized a one-day conference on ‘Empowering through Design’ that brought together global design leaders, corporates and media heads to rethink contemporary design practices against the backdrop of manufacturing. More(+)

Yoga guru and mystic, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev delivered the inaugural address on ‘Design Of Life’, with an enlightening insight into design vis-a-vis human lives. "Coming down to our lives, people wear designer clothes and drive designer cars, but are you living a designer life? A designer life means who you are happens the way you want yourself to be. Essentially, you must be able to design your destiny. If this has to happen, you have to take charge of the inner dimension of who you are" said Sadhguru in a riveting session. “The very way we are born, the way we live, think, feel and experience our life, where we will get and how we will die – everything is determined by the individual. This is a designer life. This is the life of a yogi. This is the idea of design that emerged from this culture.” Amitabh Kant, DIPP secretary and Pradyumma Vyas, Director, National Institute of Design were also a part of the opening ceremony. Eminent speakers that presented their ideas on power of design during the session incuded Ms. Rajshree Pathy (Founder, India Design Forum), Marie Lundstrom (Creative Director, IKEA, India), Manju Sara Rajan (Editor-at-large, Architectural Digest), Simran Lal,( CEO, Goodearth), Shobu Yarlagadda (Art Director, Bahubali) and Uli Gwinner (President, Steelcase) among others. IDF has promoted the ‘Growth of Design Thinking’ in India since 2012. It is an inclusive design conference for dialogue, debate, consensus and action on how design can change & enhance the manufacturing sector in India. IDF aims to foster design thinking in India and work with policymakers to create an infrastructure that encourages young Indians to ‘Design in India’. Its goal is in sync with Prime Minisiter Narendra Modi’s 'Make in India' initiative that thrives to spark a renewed sense of pride in India's manufacturing and innovation sector.

The opening session with Rajshree Pathy, Amitabh Kant, Chandrajut Banerjee and Pradyumna Vyas at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week

Innaugral Address By Rajshree Pathy, Founder IDF

Audience in session at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week

Sadhguru addressing the audience at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week

French Designer Matalie Crasset in session at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week

Gosia Rygalik - Product designers Poland, in session at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week

GV Sanjay Reddy in session at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week

James Woudhuysen – ‘Reinventing the Future’ session at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week

Joris Van Tubergen, 3D printing expert from Amsterdam, in session at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week

Marie Lindstrom, IKEA, on ‘Democratic Design’ at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week

Satyendra Pakhale in session at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week

Shobu Yaralagada on the making of Bahubali at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week

V Sumantran in session at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week

Make in India Panel-Chris Godfrey (HBA Residential), Manju Sara Rajan (AD), V Sunil (Make in India) & Simran Lal (Good Earth) at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week

Thukral & Tagra, 1000 Questions in Design at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week

Tomek & Gosia Rygalik session on ‘Creative Collision’ at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week

Greg Foster, AD India, with Simran Lal. Good Earth, at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week

James Woudhuysen, London South Bank University, in conversation with Priya Kanchandani, British Council, at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week

Kumar Magalam Birla with Rajshree Pathy among the audience at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week

Pradyummna Vyas (NID) & Atul Chaturvedi (DIPP) among the audience at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week

Saba Ali, Amitabh Kanth and Subodh Gupta among the audience at India Design Forum’s “Empowering through Design” conference at the Make in India Centre during the Make in India Week